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Coconut oil: Miracle cure or marketing ploy?

Missy Keenan, Special to the Register
Published 6:19 a.m. CT Sept. 2, 2014

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“When it comes to being anti-Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, or preventing cancer or infection, we don’t have enough evidence to say it can do those things.” — Ruth Litchfield, Iowa State University.

While coconut oil and other coconut products have their place in a healthy diet, Iowa nutrition experts say the jury is still out regarding some of the more significant health claims.
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Lately it seems coconut oil is being touted as a miracle cure for everything from bad breath to infections to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

While coconut oil and other coconut products have their place in a healthy diet, Iowa nutrition experts say the jury is still out regarding some of the more significant health claims.

“Like so many things out there, we can take something good and oversell it as a cure-all,” said Laurie Graff, a dietitian at Hy-Vee in Waukee. “I’ve seen a study about possible help for brain issues like Alzheimer’s, but it was a small study, and more studies need to be conducted.”

Ruth Litchfield, state nutrition and health specialist at Iowa State University, agreed. “There is a lot of buzz about coconut oil presently,” she said. “But a lot of that hype is based on preliminary research. When it comes to being anti-Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, or preventing cancer or infection, we don’t have enough evidence to say it can do those things.”

Litchfield and Graff remind consumers that coconut oil is a source of fat, and all fat has the same amount of calories (120 calories per tablespoon). However, although it’s high in calories, fat is a vital part of a healthy diet.

“Like everything else, it comes back down to balance,” Graff said. “For so long we were teaching people to eat low-fat. But now the research has turned around and we understand that we need it in our diets. Now we’re trying to teach people how to responsibly include fat in their diets.”

To be responsible about fat intake, Litchfield and Graff said to focus on “healthy fat” over “unhealthy fat.” The most healthy fats are monounsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts, and avocados, which can actually help raise your good cholesterol. The least healthy fats are trans fats, which are often found in processed foods with ingredients like “partially hydrogenated oil” and “shortening.”

Health-wise, polyunsaturated fat (such as corn and soybean oil) and saturated fat (such as meat, dairy and tropical oils like coconut oil) fall somewhere in between healthy monounsaturated fat and unhealthy trans fats. The latest research is evolving when it comes to the different types of saturated fats, particularly coconut oil.

“We’ve learned the same with stearic acid, which is found in beef. So coconut oil could have some desirable effects, but we’re still learning more about it each and every day.”

Coconut oil for natural baby care

When Waukee mom and entrepreneur Sarah Infante started having kids, she didn’t like the ingredients listed on many baby products. So she started experimenting, and decided to make her own baby food, snacks like granola bars, skin-care products and baby wipes.

“I started making my own wipes for my daughter because she got really bad diaper rash after switching from breast milk to whole milk,” Infante said. “I tried several recipes, but the one that I like best contains coconut oil. I remember my doctor telling me coconut oil contains lauric acid, which is also found in breast milk. The list of chemicals contained in most wipes is crazy, and mine work really well without all the weird stuff.”

In addition to making baby food and baby wipes for her own kids (and homemade dog treats for her dog!), Infante started a business, the Stork Fork, to make and sell them for others. You can find her booth on Saturdays at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market, or order from her website, www.thestorkfork.com.

Special Uses for Coconut Oil

Hy-Vee dietitian Laurie Graff cites a couple of reasons why some people may want to use coconut oil:

Digestion problems: For people with health conditions that make it difficult for them to digest most fats, the properties of coconut oil may make it an easier fat to digest. Coconut oil is often used in intravenous nutrition in hospitals.

Dairy allergies or avoidance: People who are allergic to dairy or just prefer a dairy-free diet may want to use coconut oil in place of butter, and coconut milk in place of cow’s milk. “Coconut oil and coconut milk can add flavor and also a nice texture like butter and milk would, especially for baking,” Graff said. “Coconut is a saving grace for people with dairy allergies.”

To Pull or Not to Pull

A recent health craze involving coconut oil is oil pulling. Pulling is actually an ancient Ayurvedic technique that involves essentially using oil as mouthwash by swishing it in your mouth for several minutes and then spitting it out. Google “oil pulling” and you’ll find touted benefits that range from specific oral health improvements like whiter teeth and fresher breath to general cleansing of bodily toxins.

“Pulling will take bacteria out of the mouth, but we naturally have good bacteria in our mouths as well as bad,” Laurie Graff said. “I do not necessarily recommend it, but I can’t say that it would hurt, either.”

“If you like the feel of it, fine,” said Ruth Litchfield. “But there’s no research suggesting that something like that would pull out toxins from your body, absolutely not. That’s why we have a liver and kidneys.”

There are lots of purported benefits to oil pulling. Just like other natural techniques, these benefits will vary from person to person.